In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.   

This time we talk to Joe Talbot who fronts IDLES, a Bristolian band famed for storming post-punk and political statements.

IDLES have been producing fantastic records for over five years now, yet the band have only this year got around to releasing their debut album, Brutalism. It’s proved more than worth the wait as, through their two EPs MEAT and META, IDLES have taken the time to direct their extraordinary energy into a uniquely concentrated, fierce, and feverish form.

The result of this is Brutalism, a power-pack album of hot-blooded tracks featuring explosive singles ‘Mother’ and ‘Well Done’. What’s perhaps most interesting about Brutalism’s take on post-punk is its prevalent wit and humour, which provides the perfect counterbalance to their sharp, pointed political statements.

IDLES frequently claim that they’re “one of the best live bands you’ll ever see”, a statement backed by testimonials from their incendiary performances. The band are coming to the end of a lengthy UK tour, and with slots lined up supporting The Maccabees as well as shows at both Reading and Leeds Festivals, 2017 is looking like IDLES’ breakthrough year.

In this interview, we chat to Joe Talbot about architecture, the role of fear in IDLES’ creative process, female role models, and what we can expect next from the talented group…

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TMR: Your new album is titled Brutalism, a word which in pop culture comes with heavy reference to much more than the architectural phenomenon. How did you come to this name, and what does ‘Brutalism’ mean to IDLES?

Joe Talbot: Brutalist architecture is something I've been fascinated by for a long time. It was soon apparent to me a while back that I was falling apart and within a band that was struggling to stay as driven and passionate about what we did over time. When we started writing the album, my old dear's passing lifted a weight off my shoulders that I'd been carrying unknowingly, to the most part, for a long time. Once the weight had been lifted, we realised that there was no pressure to do anything, or more importantly sound like anything; suddenly the songs fell out and the album became a huge cathartic high-rise to house all our shit. The comparisons of the album with a big old post-war carpark seemed more than apt but poetic. The rest is history.

TMR: You are fast becoming famous for your ballsy, high energy live performances, and are coming to the end of a huge UK tour. How do you support yourselves emotionally and physically through the swinging highs and low of a lengthy tour?

JT: This was a breeze. We're good friends and better when we're on stage. The reactions we had every night would have kept the Titanic afloat. Piece of piss.

TMR: Your lyrics can sound sometimes like streams of consciousness: how long does it take you to write your lyrics and how much do you think about them as you write them?

JT: I'll listen to a song hundreds of times before writing the lyrics which helps me find a natural rhythm. I'm not sure how to measure exactly how much I think about the lyrics but I'd guess I try to let them come as naturally as possible. I certainly wouldn't ever force them from another's voice.



TMR: We’ve read that you describe yourselves as having “no qualms in terrifying and entertaining in the same breath”. What is the role of fear in your creative process?

JT: I'm terrified of many things and that helps me write and stay sane. Catharsis, I think, comes from exorcising fears and that's what I want from our music. I'm not sure if I could terrify someone live but I'd love that mythology to come alive in our work, like Nick Cave-terrifying but I'm not that sort of writer.

TMR: With lyrics such as “The best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich” it’s clear that your music is steeped in politics. Do you feel particularly responsible to use your platform to make political statements?

JT: I don't think there is any responsibility as an artist to do anything but as a friend, son, colleague and partner I think it's vital to be politically minded and loyal to a safe and happy equilibrium wherever possible.

TMR: It’s incredibly inspiring for a male-fronted band to be outwardly feminist and anti-misogynist. Why do you feel the need to make those sentiments heard so clearly? With that in mind, who are your female role models?

JT: Why be so clear in life about what you believe in and then hide those beliefs in your music? I'd never lecture but my songs are as honest as abstractions about my life as they can be so it would be dull to ignore something as basic as seeking equality when writing. My mother, Mhairi Black, Lauryn Hill, Anohni, Margaret Atwood, Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Frida Kahlo, PJ Harvey and The Slits.



TMR: The fact that you are from Bristol seems to appear in almost every piece or interview written about IDLES. Last year alone, Bristol won awards for the ‘Most Inspiring UK City’ and also for the ‘Kindest City’. Aside from its rich musical heritage, how has the city’s creative and empathetic leanings influenced your work? 

JT: The city is plump with creators but the nature of the city leans towards acceptance of difference; this helps people feel comfortable in their own skin which in turn devolves the idea of a "scene". There is no linear sound or aesthetic here but a cacophonous botch of beautiful difference. We benefited from this as anyone would.

TMR: Listening back through your debut EP, Welcome, to MEAT and most recently Brutalism, it’s clear that stylistically your music has focused into a more intense, angry and pointed form. If you only had one track to play a stranger to sum up your music, which one would it be and why? 

JT: Whichever song we wrote last at the time.

TMR: Who are the bands that are exciting you most at the minute?

JT: LIFE, St Pierre Snake Invasion, Plattenbau, LESS WIN and us of course.

TMR: What can we expect from IDLES in the year to come? 

JT: Us carrying on working hard on our live show and the second album.



-Holly Manners